Moonlight Bliss
by Pressing Point
Summary: Hinata's approaching 18 & the clan has decided that it's time for her to start thinking about marriage- only, they gave her a list of choices… and Naruto's not on it; She decided to start moving on; He just noticed what's always been there- his true love
1. Unwavering Hold

**Moonlight Bliss**

"_Throughout life you will meet one person who is unlike any other. This person is one you could forever talk to. They understand you in a way that no one else does or even could. This person is your soul mate, your best friend. Don't ever let them go, for they're your guardian angel sent from heaven above."_

**Chapter 1**

His golden, shoulder-length spiky hair gently blew across his handsome face in the cool evening wind. The sun had gone to bed and the full moon took its place with the accompaniment of millions of twinkling stars. For the first time in weeks, he was experiencing pure tranquility. He placed his hands behind his head and relaxed against the stone. At that moment, his special treasured crystal gem sparkled as it lay on his black and orange jacket. He smiled slightly, showing but a fraction of his pearly white teeth.

_Dad, I'm gonna finally do it. Just a few more weeks until I've completely surpassed you._

Happy thoughts filled the young man's mind as he rested on his father's stone face, the Fourth Hokage's face.

His heartbeat quickened at the thought of danger. He looked up to see a large boulder hurling towards him.

"What the hell?" he murmured as his eyes widened. He raised his pinky in the direction of the boulder. In a second, a great mass of rotating blue chakra formed on the little pinky finger. The boulder clashed into the rasengan, dissolving as it made contact with the chakra. The rasengan faded after the boulder had completely dissolved. "Baa-chan! Why would you do that?" he complained, not even bothering to look up.

The blonde, big breasted lady in her late 50s smiled. Although she was old, her looks portrayed a lady in her 20s due to her jutsu.

_He was able to destroy the boulder with just the raise of a pinky_, she thought to herself,_ He truly has become strong... Maybe too strong... Now it won't be fun to hurt him anymore…_

She chuckled. After hearing the sound of 'Baa-chan' ringing in her ears, an anger vein popped.

"Who the hell do you think you are calling baa-chan you knucklehead!" she yelled, waving her fist furiously in the air.

The blond quickly rose to his feet, looking up to the lady standing at the top of the mountain. "Baa-chan Tsunade!" he retaliated just as angry.

The woman jumped of the mountain with a large amount of chakra loaded into her fist as she closed in on him. Fear pumped through the man's blood and he tried to run. The chakra loaded fist connected with his cheek throwing him off the stone face and into the ground.

Tsunade placed her arms akimbo as she landed outside the crater gracefully. She smiled one of satisfaction, seeing she could still inflict some pain. "Naruto!" the Godaime yelled to the boy who was still twitching at the bottom of the crater, "We have been searching for you for hours! It is not the behavior of a becoming hokage to ditch meetings just because it is drop-dead boring! I may be handing you the title of Hokage soon but that doesn't mean you can do whatever you wa-!"

"All right! All right, Baa-chan!" Naruto interrupted. "Don't nag me. I'll go back to the meeting." The blond jumped out of the crater, rubbing his throbbing cheek.

Tsunade curled her fist, filling it with even more chakra. "Don't interrupt me or call me Baa-chan!"

Getting the danger instinct again, Naruto quickly apologized to the short tempered lady to avoid any more body damage.

After Tsunade calmed down, she spoke again, "The meeting ended an hour ago, baka. Go home and rest then come back to my office tomorrow at 8pm sharp." The Hokage spun on her red heel and stormed to her mansion.

Naruto sighed as he dusted his jumpsuit off. _Women… such weird creatures…_

"Oi! Dobe!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "What, teme?" The blond passed by his rival/ best-friend and began walking towards the town, expecting him to follow.

And he did. The last Uchiha, dressed in his jōnin deep green vest over a long sleeved deep blue sweater, smacked Naruto upside the head.

Naruto growled and rubbed his head. That was the second assault he'd received in no more than 10 minutes! "Bastard," Naruto grumbled.

"Why did you leave the meeting?" Sasuke asked, obviously not caring for his friend's physical state, "I thought becoming Hokage was important to you."

"It is," Naruto said gruffly, still upset over the punch Tsunade gave him. He was quick to recover but it still hurt. "Those meetings are just so damn boring."

Sasuke gave a small smile- an action he had slowly begun to get used to ever since his return. "Becoming hokage isn't going to be an easy task, dobe."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Sasuke looked at his friend quizzically. "No rude remark, no senseless banter, no stupid grin? What have you done with the real Naruto?... Not that I mind but-"

Naruto playfully shoved Sasuke. "Ha, ha. Very funny."

The two remained quiet for a while as they walked by the trees.

"So where's Sakura-chan? I didn't see her today…"

Sasuke sighed. "She's sick so she spent the day at home, making me be her errand boy for the entire day-."

"And lemme guess," Naruto butted in, "She's also been bi-polar? Kind and caring the first second and then a scary beast the next? I even bet she got in a few punches, huh?"

Sasuke turned his face away. "She only landed one…"

"The ramen I'd throw away just to see Sakura-chan beat the crap out of you for being such an ass all the time!"

"Shut up."

After more walking, Sasuke departed from Naruto's side and headed home. Naruto bid his friend a farewell and continued on his trek to the probably silent town. It was almost midnight.

He was right. The town was silent. Shops had been closed, the lights in homes had been shut off and the streets were lonely.

He stopped walking in the middle of the road and looked up to the moonless sky, sighing. Was something bothering him? Sure he hadn't been as excited or perky as he usually was… maybe he was just depressed… a teensy weensy bit…

Naruto continued walking on, even after he passed by his apartment, his hands shoved into his pockets and his blond bangs covering his eyes as he continued kicking a rock. "Maybe… I'm just… lonely."

He had many friends across the entire ninja world, the villagers adored him and treated him like a prince and he really was grateful for them all… But they weren't _that _special someone. You know, someone you can call _yours_ and in turn you'll only be theirs.

He was certain that absolutely everyone one of his friends had paired off with someone be it with another friend or a stranger. He was the only one left behind.

"Screw this," Naruto mumbled, "At least ramen will make me feel better."

And so he approached Ichiraku's Ramen, happy to see light coming from the windows meaning that they were still open despite the late hour. The old man and his daughter were probably waiting for his usual midnight visit to their restaurant.

Sliding the door open, Naruto entered the restaurant and sat on a stool. Teuchi and Ayame weren't at the counter like they usually were. Naruto frowned. He was just about to shout like he usually did, but then his nose picked up the extravagant smell that was… miso ramen.

He followed the smell by turning his head to the right. There was a girl sitting at the farthest end of the bar, her dark curtain of midnight-blue hair hiding her face and a bowl of untouched ramen before her. With one of her hands, her small, pale fingers were using the chopsticks to swirl the noodles around the bowl and the other hand resting in her lap, fingers clutching her fitting sky blue kimono, decorated with white flower patterns.

Why was someone at Ichiraku's this late? … Besides him of course. He had special ramen privileges. But what was more important was why she _wasn't _eating her ramen. Ramen wasn't meant to be stirred! Its mouthwatering noodles were meant to be slurped and the glazing soup was meant to be drunk with passion!

"Hey," his voice came out softer than he expected it to be, "Why aren't you eating your ramen?"

His voice seemed to startle the girl out of her daze. She placed strands of her waist-length midnight blue hair behind her ear and looked up to Naruto's questioning azure blue eyes. "N-Naruto-kun?" the girl whispered, sighing in relief.

"Hinata?" Naruto called, surprised. She always managed to wiggle under his sensing radar even though they'd grown closer than before after the war. She was a puzzle. "Why're you here so late?"

The said girl's face flushed a bright red. She turned her head back to her ramen bowl, hiding from his observing eyes. "Um, I wanted some ramen so I, uh, came here."

Naruto pointed to her untouched ramen. "But you haven't eaten anything."

Hinata sighed and stirred her ramen once again. "I guess I _didn't _want ramen... I don't really want to waste it, so would you like it?"

"Sure!" Naruto exclaimed, stretching to receive the bowl as Hinata slid it to him, "The old man isn't here anyways…" Naruto dug into the ramen, quickly blocking out the fact it was cold.

"Oh. Teuchi-san and Ayame-san went out for some supplies a few minutes ago. They said they'd be back in 10 minutes or so… Anyways, have a good night Naruto-kun."

The Hyuuga was about to leave but then Naruto called out to her. "Um, would you mind staying a bit? I don't really want to be alone…"

If only he noticed how that phrase made her heart flutter. Not in her nature to refuse, Hinata sat back down, resisting the urge to hide her face or twiddle her forefingers. Instead she forced herself to ask, "Are you ok, Naruto-kun? You seem a tad… depressed…"

Naruto stopped wolfing down the ramen and began to eat a slow pace. His eyes met her lavender pearls for a brief second before the both of them removed eye contact, both for different reasons. "I could ask you the same thing," said the blond.

"Well… I have a reason to be depressed," Hinata mumbled to herself, fidgeting with the blue butterfly barrette in her hair.

However, the innocent mumble did not go by Naruto's sharp ears. "And what's that?"

Hinata seemed surprised that he heard her. She took a deep breath and looked in another direction, as long as it wasn't his eyes. "My clan wants me to marry," she said softly.

Naruto nearly choked. "W-What?"

"They want me to marry," she said again, "It's not _that _bad though… They're not forcing me into a marriage with no choice… I'm just being forced to marry someone of _my _choice with no choice."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"They gave me a list," she sighed, "I have to choose someone from that list… and frankly, that list is absolutely mortifying."

"Mortifying?"

Hinata nodded. "There's a bunch of snobby sons of Daimyōs and rich families, my two _teammates_ whom I only have family-like relations with, _Neji_-"

Naruto nearly sputtered his ramen all over the place. "Neji?"

"I know," Hinata moaned, "He's my cousin and he's already in a relationship with Tenten! And then the one that nearly had me in tears was when I came across Sasuke-kun's name-"

This time Naruto did sputter his ramen everywhere. "Teme! But he's with Sakura-chan!"

"And they don't care," Hinata sighed sadly, "And on the rest of the list, there are sons of the elders in my clan and other distant relatives."

"You don't love any of them, do you?"

Hinata shook her head. "The one I do love just happened to _not _be on the list… but I don't think I would have the courage to pick him anyways… and if I did he'd probably be oblivious about it and think I was joking..." She sighed.

"You're in love with someone? Who is it?"

Hinata blushed 10 shades of red. Her last sentence wasn't supposed to be said out loud. She twiddled her fingers and hid her face. "U-Um… well… uh… you never told me why you were mopey," Hinata quickly said, changing the subject.

Luckily, Naruto didn't seem to catch on. He finished his ramen and smiled at her. Hinata refused the urge to faint. "I was just lonely, I guess. But your company made me feel better so thanks!"

"N-No problem."

"As for the marriage thing," Naruto began, pointing his chopsticks up in the air. "You shouldn't give in to them. You should try to fight against it, you know. Or at least have them prolong it for a year or two, when you're actually ready for something like that."

Hinata smiled. "Thanks, Naruto-kun," She stood up and walked to the door, "I should be going home now. My clan won't like it if I'm out too late. H-Have a good night, Naruto-kun."

And with the small farewell, the Hyuuga heiress left the restaurant.

Naruto turned to the empty bowl of ramen. Hinata was really a sweet girl. She definitely didn't deserve to be forced into anything she didn't want.

He was about to go and look for Teuchi but his foot stumbled on something weird. He stooped down to pick up a blue butterfly barrette. "Hinata was wearing this, right?... I should go and give it to her…"

Assuring himself of his decision, Naruto darted off in the direction of the Hyuuga complex, taking the roofs to be quicker in movement. It wasn't long before he finally caught up with the girl.

Hinata's movement came to a slow stop as she stared in the direction of the bright stars. Her long hair blew in the wind as she gazed at the twinkling stars.

Naruto was about to call out to her but he didn't. He was just watching her. She looked so pretty.

"Is someone there?" Hinata asked.

Naruto would have answered her… but something told him not to or maybe… he just couldn't.

"You're not an enemy, are you? You're a friend." Naruto remained motionless as she spoke, not knowing why he did so. Hinata giggled, "Why are you here? Are you in need of something? Do you have a question to ask me? Friends should be able to talk about anything. Will you stay a coward hiding in the dark?"

Naruto remained silent. Why wasn't he saying anything? "I was once a coward… But then my favorite ninja taught me to not be afraid and to never give up," Hinata said softly. She yearned for a reply but none came. Naruto listened keenly. Maybe she would answer his question now. She seemed to avoid it back at Ichiraku's. "You follow me towards the complex but I must warn you to not go beyond there. The guards along with my father are very … _over-protective_."

She walked towards the complex gracefully. Naruto could only follow. His body wouldn't let him do anything else. She smiled when she realized her _guest _was still following her. "I like you," Hinata whispered, "You remind me of my persistent favorite ninja… Naruto." She blushed heavily when she said his name. She wasn't sure whether or not to poor her heart out to her mysterious guest but it didn't matter.

Naruto froze in shock. _He _was her favorite ninja? Sure he was awesome and everything but you'd think her favorite ninja would be the one she loves…

"To think he's going to be Hokage soon… fills my heart with joy," Hinata whispered. "It also saddens me that he'll probably marry a beautiful lady who cares about him almost as much as I do… But then again, if he's happy, I'm happy… but loving him all these years would have been in vain," her tone saddened.

Naruto's eyes bulged with surprise. She… loved him? All these years? Someone like _her _actually _loved_ someone like _him_? _He _was the one she was talking about? He wasn't even in her league!

"I'm so selfish," she continued. "It's clear that he doesn't like me that way … but I keep on loving him and hurting myself. I guess I'll have to deal with it though and move on… and maybe the arranged marriage will help me do that… Although even I know that's impossible… I can't just switch of my emotions… even though sometimes I wish I could… It's dumb to confess to a stranger but at least I could tell one person. And there I am being selfish again. I'm using your secrecy to let out the pain in my heart without guilt… I apologize for wasting your time." Her speech ended with that very last sentence as she approached the Hyuuga complex. The guards escorted her through the gate and into the large complex.

Naruto sat atop the nearest roof to the Hyuuga complex trying to process what had just entered his mind. How did coming to give a girl her barrette back result in him receiving a love confession? And a confession from the _Hyuuga heiress _herself!

"Woah." Naruto whispered. There was so much running through his mind right now. He was so happy but so angry at himself. How could he not see it? Was she that good at hiding it or was he just, as she put it, oblivious?

But the most important question on his mind was only one thing… _Do I love her back? Can I?_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **This is the rewritten version of A NaruHina Love Story: Moonlight Bliss which has unfortunately been deleted. This story is going to be much better than the first and if you've read the original version, it's nearly a guarantee that you'll like this story as there'll be new twists and turns along with many plot changes.


	2. Flowery Arrangements

**Moonlight Bliss**

__"Love is like a butterfly, it settles upon you when you least expect it."__

**Chapter 2: Flowery Arrangements**

For 2 hours, she had been pacing. Pacing right, pacing left, pacing up, pacing down, pacing all around.

Why did she do something so stupid yesterday! How could she! Confessing like that to a stranger! He wasn't an enemy and she knew it… but what if they told Naruto! What would she do!

Hinata shook her head to turn away from such thoughts and focused on her current dilemma.

Just how was she supposed to tell everyone she had to get married? How would they take it if they found out that some of their mates were on this list? How would she take it if one of the guys actually considered it?

"No, Hinata. You won't do it," she whispered to herself, "You're going to pull on your big girl pants and tell your father that this ideal of his is insane and that you won't go through with it!"

"Hai!" the girl cheered, agreeing with herself.

She pulled up her navy blue pants and marched to the door. As she was about to slide it open, she froze.

What would her father do if she opposed his wishes? They had just built a bearable relationship only years ago. It was still tender. Any move to aggravate him and that relationship would make like a banana and peel.

But if she didn't speak to her father, the family would choose _for _her. And she was pretty sure the ideal candidate for them would be Tokuma Hyuuga… the guy who the elders had literally been throwing at her to choose.

Her clan was sick. Very, very sick.

Hinata sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She was frustrated. Just why wouldn't they put Naruto on the list? Her sweet, charming, precious Naruto-kun?

She knew that one. The elders, of course. They'd been pining to get her married to Tokuma since she was 6! It wasn't a secret that she loved Naruto. If he'd been on the list, she'd choose him instantly without any form of hesitation.

But as she would approach the door to her father's study, she would turn tail and run back to her room for one reason only. Naruto didn't love her back. They were just friends. Nothing more, nothing less. The guy was killing her. Couldn't he see the loving gazes she gave him? Couldn't he hear the genuine care in her voice? Couldn't he feel the love she radiated for him?

No. Because… _things kind of took a while to reach his brain. _Well, that's what she liked to describe it as. Naruto wasn't stupid. He was just …slow at times.

Slow or not, loving him hurt. But her heart was attracted to the object of her pain.

"You know what!" Hinata exclaimed quietly, determination filling her voice. "I don't need him! If he can't see my feelings, it's his loss! I can do this! I can move on!" Hinata clutched the scroll in her hand and marched out of her room. "I CAN DO THIS!"

A deep red blush dashed across her face as everyone stared at her like she was insane.

"U-Uh…"

Before she could explain, the Hyuugas carried on with their various duties without a second glance.

Hinata sighed and trudged herself to her father's study. "I definitely _can't _do this."

* * *

><p>His eyes slowly drooped then rose again. This action had been going on for quite a while now. Tsunade would sneak the sleepy boy death glares every time he did that which would snap him awake until he got tired again.<p>

The Konoha Council, comprising of Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, was examining Naruto's profile to see if he was fit to become hokage. Tsunade had warned Naruto to arrive at her office today, fully rested, but clearly she wasn't thorough enough.

He had arrived around 9:30 when the meeting was supposed to be at 8:00 like she had oredered. What really ticked Tsunade off was his unpleasant appearance and attitude. His hair was scattered in several directions, he wore his usual jacket but seemed to forget the pants and she was certain he was half asleep. If she didn't kill Naruto after this meeting for some unknown reason, he would be extremely lucky. The only thing she could give him credit for was that he smelled like he had bathed and his breath was fresh.

Tsunade sent him another glare, sending chills up the blond's spine. His eyes drooped again but this time it wasn't from fatigue. He was thinking. Thoughts about Hinata had kept him up all through the night until 4:00 a.m., when he fell asleep. Even as he slept, he dreamt of her.

The dark, weird, shy girl kept creeping back into his mind. Only some hours ago, he had no idea of the feelings she harbored for him and he brushed her off as one of his really good friends. A few moments later, everything he saw about the girl began to change as soon as she unknowingly confessed to him.

He always thought of her as pretty and kind, strong and delicate, smart and quiet, the girl who really cared a lot about him. But now, he saw her as beautiful. He found her kindness angelic. Her power was immeasurable. Her being was as fragile as glass, something that deserved to be handled with extreme care. Her intelligence deserved more praise. She was not quiet. She had millions and millions of things to say. He just never let her say them. She was the girl… who loved him.

She was always quiet and a mystery, her face beginning to burn whenever she was around him. The stutters, the "finger-poking", the blushes, the way she could hardly ever look him in the eye,… the way she …sacrificed herself for him.

It was all so obvious, so blatant. She loved him. Hinata Hyuuga loved him. She was _in_ love with him.

But could he fall in love with her? Did he love her? The questions that kept him up and haunted his dreams always had him draw a blank. He didn't know.

The only thing he did know was that he had to get out of this crap hole to see her. He wasn't absolutely sure what he would do but he had to see her. He had to know if he had feelings for her or not. He had to be certain and see her now. But how could he possibly escape without Tsunade beating the crap out of him afterwards? After moments of thinking, a sly smile played upon his lips.

"Pardon me, Tsunade-sama, village elders," Naruto bowed with respect as he said their names. They all looked at Naruto suspiciously, especially Tsunade. Naruto had not one trace of manners within his body.

_What is he up to?_ Tsunade wondered while sipping some tea.

"Speak boy," said the elders in unison.

"Hai. May I be excused to use the lavatory?"

Tsunade spat out her tea and coughed. Naruto definitely had a plan up his sleeve. Not once in his life had he shown respect to anyone and who knew he knew the word 'lavatory' existed?

"Yes you may young man," said the gray haired old lady. After Naruto left the room with a smirk on his face, both elders gave Tsunade a stern look. "You should develop manners like that young man," the lady scolded, "He's already acting more mature to become hokage!"

Tsunade sighed as the old woman continued to scold her. She was sure of it now. She would kill Naruto if he pulled anything.

* * *

><p>Hiashi Hyuuga. Long brown hair, hard silver eyes, a stern face and a sturdy chin. The man that sat a meter away from her was her father… and he was nothing like her.<p>

She was kind, he could be mean, she smiled, none of the living had ever seen anything on his face but a scowl or grimace, she was soft-natured, nature refused to let him even have a nature.

The man was intimidating. _Very_ intimidating. But under that thick shell of Hyuuga ice, there was one thing that even his barrier couldn't hide from her watchful eyes. Whenever he saw her, she could see the flicker of hurt flash through his eyes.

"Is there something you want?" he asked, trying his best to not sound irritated. Ever since the Neji fiasco, her father had been trying to improve his behaviors by being nicer and creating more _equal _laws in the clan such as some main branch techniques may be taught to a branch member if there is exceptional potential. But the key word is _trying. _And unlike many things Hiashi Hyuuga did, he was failing on the nice part. Tremendously.

Hinata refused the urge to twiddle her fingers in her lap. She took a deep breath, gripped the scroll tighter and made eye-contact (an act she'd been trying to get used to). "It's about my marriage choices."

His face softened… a teensy weensy bit. "Oh. So you have made your choice?"

_Breathe Hinata, breathe. You can do this. Show 'im who's boss!_

She placed the scroll on the mahogany table and rolled it towards her father. "Actually, I have a _problem _with my marriage choices."

He eyed the scroll then looked back to her. His face hardened… by a whole lot. "And what is that?"

"I don't wish to marry any of them."

Hiashi eyed his daughter for any signs of joking or doubt. "Are you serious? We have picked the best of the best marital choices for you and you refuse them all?"

Hinata let out a shaky breath. "I… do."

"And you do realize that in order to lead this clan, you'll have to be married first, right?"

Breathe. No twiddle. Speak. "Father… I'm 17. I'm not comfortable with marrying a man I hardly know and I refuse to marry any that I do know and consider family."

Hiashi looked displeased. "As heiress, you'll gain your title as Head during your 18th year. You being a young woman, clan tradition states the long-standing relationship of 1-2 years with a man of approval by the clan must be ensued. Marriage being the preference.

"My knowledge says that you are not romantically involved with anyone and you are approaching 18 in a matter of months. That rules out the long-standing relationship option, leaving one, the latter. If you refuse to marry, how will you go about that? Or are you willing to throw away your hard work and give your title back to your younger sister?"

Her father's words cut through her like a knife to butter. She _wasn't _involved with anyone. Hell, she'd never even been asked out before or hit on like any of the other kunoichis in her year group. That left marriage as the only option to become Head and she refused to let Hanabi accept that title. Her sister did not deserve to go through such madness as her clan instituted. Hanabi deserved to fall in love and be with the man of her choice.

She was doing this for the sake of her sister's freedom. With her head held high, she looked her father in the eyes. She'd been through to much, saw too much and felt too much to cower. She was stronger now. "No," she said. No matter what her father did, he always ended up as the bad guy. As the one that caused her pain. "I want the title."

"Then you'll have to choose from that list."

"Can't we postpone it? I… appreciate… what the clan is doing for me but I'm not ready for marriage yet. I just ask for a few months to think."

Hiashi frowned. He did _not _like compromising. "You have until your birthday to think. After that, you must make a decision, understood?"

Hinata sucked in another deep breath and gave a small and incredibly forced smile. "I understand." She rose from her seat and headed towards the door. As she slid it open, the voice of her father stopped her briefly before she continued walking on with a genuine yet broken smile on her face.

"_Your addressing and argument skills… have improved… I'm proud… of you."_

* * *

><p>"HE WHAT? YOU HAVE TO WHAT? WHAT? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON, HINATA?"<p>

Hinata rested her head against the bark of the tree and sighed as Kiba continued to rant and rave and kick the grass. She watched him with weary eyes and smiled lazily as Akamaru whined for Kiba to calm down.

Shino was only a few feet to the left of where Kiba last was, unmoving but inevitably thinking. From the precise angle of his head, she could tell he was upset. He just didn't express it the way Kiba did. From what she knew about Shino, he was plotting someone's death. She gave him a petty smile but he did not move. That meant he wasn't on reasoning terms anymore.

She sighed again and ran her fingers through Akamaru's white fur coat. By looking at the dog, she'd be called a liar if she told a newcomer that this huge, beast of a dog was once a small teeny tiny puppy that could ride on the nest of Kiba's shaggy brown hair and in his shirt only years ago.

"At least your handling this maturely and not being homicidal, aren't you Akamaru?" Hinata whispered to her furry friend while scratching behind his ears.

The beast barked happily, wagged his tail and licked her cheek playfully. Hinata giggled softly and wiped off the slobber.

"Hinataaaaaaa," Kiba whined, "How can you be so calm? Aren't you upset? Aren't you going to try and do _something_ about it?"

A slight frown tugged at her lips. "I'm not happy about it," she murmured, still stroking Akamaru's fur. It gave her a feeling of comfort. Her tone of voice shut Kiba up and stopped Shino's death plans. "But it's mandatory if I want the ones I care about to be happy."

"Hinata." Shino was the one that spoke this time. "We may be jōnin but we're still team Kurenai. And as team Kurenai, we don't want you to sacrifice _your _happiness which is something you deserve." Kiba nodded in agreement.

Hinata smiled. "But someone has to do it, Shino-kun. In order for there to be happiness, one must always sacrifice theirs. I'm that person. I've already decided it. If it's for the ones I care for, I'll willingly do anything. Even if it costs me my happiness."

"But it doesn'-"

Hinata cut Kiba off. "But it does, Kiba-kun. You don't know the full story yet..." The heiress stood up and walked in the direction of the street. She looked over her shoulder to her former teammates and offered, "Tea?"

* * *

><p>Kiyomi. A bouncing ball of energy, an orb that emits radiance and purity. That's how Hinata would describe her second sister, her sensei's daughter. Silky and wavy black hair placed in two ear-length pigtails, dark brown eyes that flicker with life, a button nose, soft pink lips, a dazzling white smile although her teeth weren't yet complete and fair smooth skin. She was literally the cutest thing.<p>

Dressed in a pink blouse and a red, baby jumper dress that showed her white diaper whenever she picked something up (which she did frequently), Kiyomi ran back over to Hinata's feet, grinning widely and carrying a shiny rock in her hands.

She outstretched the smooth rock proudly and Hinata could tell that she wanted her to say something. That's what it was like with Kiyomi. She was highly intelligent, her speech was that of a six year old and she could tell when she was being lied to- something she hated very much. _But_, she preferred to not use her words. She preferred to express her views with minimal actions. Hinata thought it was either an interesting game to the little one or Shikamaru's laziness had rubbed off on her so much that she found speaking troublesome.

"It's pretty," Hinata whispered to the two year old, "Just like you."

Kiyomi squealed happily, placed her stone in the collection of her other pretty rocks and ran back out into the sun to find more.

Hinata sighed contently as she watched the girl flicker about, every now and then losing her balance but immediately getting back up and giggling at her silly mistake. She was an interesting species. The kind that made you want to smile forever and make you remember that life is a precious gift. It made her wonder if all kids were like that. If she was like that. Innocent and carefree.

It wasn't long before Kiyomi ran back to her feet and showed her another rock. Hinata nodded in approval, and the girl's little hands placed the rock into the pile. Instead of running back into the sun like Hinata expected, the girl remained on the wooden steps of the patio with her, the girl's large eyes peering up at Hinata with her cheeks puffed ever so cutely.

Hinata giggled because she knew what that meant. It meant she was tired and wanted to be carried. Complying, Hinata cradled the little girl in her arms and rocked her just the way she liked it. Hinata liked being around children. A lot. She blushed lightly at the thought of having many little Uzumakis running around her.

But her fantasy was like a stray leaf on a windy day. It would just drift across the wisps of the wind.

Instead of Uzumakis, she would have another man's children. She would love them all the same but they wouldn't be what she wanted so badly.

"You're so lucky," Hinata whispered to the half-conscious child, "You have a long time to grow up and enjoy your innocence. If you had to marry in order to make the ones you care about happy, what would you do?"

The girl responded with a yawn and the stretch of a tired, chubby arm. She touched Hinata's cheek with her fingers and smiled while whispering, "Sleep."

Her brown eyes fluttered closed and her face eased with a content smile.

"Sleep," Hinata repeated, smiling down at the resting girl, "I wish I could just sleep too. Forever."

Just then, the door creaked open to reveal her mother-figure. Soft red eyes found her own lavender ones and she smiled with a greeting, "Good morning, Kurenai-sensei."

The mother of one sat beside Hinata and gazed to the rocks her daughter collected. "Kiyo-chan collected these, right?"

Hinata nodded. "She's a funny little thing."

Kurenai laughed softly. "Indeed she is. And you're a complicated little thing."

Hinata sighed and handed her sensei her daughter. "I take it Shino-kun and Kiba-kun didn't want to stop by here to only say hello?"

Kurenai nodded. "They want me to persuade you out of taking the clan title." She brushed the bangs across her daughter's forehead. "But I know that you won't listen to me."

"Correct," Hinata murmured. "I want the title. Well honestly, I want the title so I can hand it over to Neji. He's a male. He doesn't face the relationship requirement."

The two were quiet for a while.

"But why, Hinata?" Kurenai spoke softly, "You of all people deserve to be happy." Hinata was about to open her mouth to protest but Kurenai continued on. "And don't give me that crap of sacrificing your own happiness. It doesn't work with any of us."

Hinata laughed. "I guess not." A cool breeze blew her hair, ruffling her dark green hoodless jacket which had the cuff sleeves rolled up due to the slight heat. After a brief pause, she spoke again, "I'm doing it for my sister."

"Hanabi?"

She nodded. "If I give up and back out, she'll become the heiress and be forced to marry. She'll miss out on the chance of finding true love. Something _she_ deserves. She needs to learn how do what _she _wants. Not what the clan wants. But I guess I can't teach her that if I'm contradicting my statement by doing just that, now can I?"

Kurenai pursed her lips and searched her student's face for any sign of doubt. There was none. She sighed. "And what about _your _true love Hinata?"

Hinata gave a quiet laugh. "_My _true love doesn't know how I feel, neither does he think of me in the light I wish for. If anything, the most that can be developed between us is a friendship. Then… maybe a relationship… That's what I thought… But we've been friends for over 2 years now. And his feelings haven't changed. I think it's a sign that nothing _will _change. So this marriage… in a way.." Hinata took a deep breath, "… will help me… move on."

"Is that what you want, Hinata?"

Hinata was quiet. No. It was far from what she wanted. But it was what she needed. "Yes, sensei."

Kurenai heaved a breath. "Alright then." She stood up with her child sleeping peacefully in her arms. "Will you join us for some tea?"

Hinata got off the steps and while walking into the Konoha sun, gave a quiet reply. "No… Not yet… I need to think for a little bit." She turned to her teacher, "I might come back in a little while though. I'm thinking of flower pressing."

Kurenai smiled. "Have fun."

* * *

><p>Naruto sighed contently as he strolled through the village, donning his regular day outfit: a deep green shirt and the bottoms to his orange jumpsuit. He decided to change after he noticed he forgot his pants.<p>

He left a shadow clone back up at the office and he couldn't help but feel smug at thinking about that. Clones were the answer to getting out of his work duties! That was his best idea. Ever.

Now there was something he needed. Hinata. He needed to find her and… and… That's where his mind stopped thinking. Do what exactly? He was always used to making quick and easy decisions, not giving a second thought to the consequences of his actions.

She seemed so delicate. As if one mistake would completely break her. She made him _think_. Think hard.

And so he did think. He decided upon flowers. She once told him that she liked flowers and preserving their beauty. He liked to water plants. Watching them grow made him feel mellow inside.

He skipped to Yamanaka's flower shop, determined to get the best ones he could for Hinata. Ino would most likely be there. She was in charge of running the shop by herself for the remainder of the year. It was her dad's way of punishing her for not telling him about her newfound relationship with Sai.

Sai and Ino. He honestly found them to be an odd pair. But he guessed they made sense. Sai had a thing for art and Ino had a thing for flower arrangements. He often found the pair at the shop together picking different combinations of flowers and designing. Right now, Sai was on a mission along with his pervert of a sensei.

Naruto entered the shop, just about to yell his presence although the chime of the bells was enough but he soon stopped when his eyes landed on the very person he was buying flowers for. There she was, in her warm and quiet glory, laughing with Ino and playing with the petals of some flowers.

_So much for buying her flowers._

Naruto was about to make a hasty retreat but Ino caught sight of him. "Hey Naruto! What brings you here?"

Naruto's cheeks tinted a faint red when her large, lavender eyes met his. Pink dusted hers so he guessed he wasn't the only flustered one.

Ino looked back and forth between the two and shrugged it off. "So whaddya want Naruto?"

He scratched the back of his head, a nervous tic of his, but still kept his eyes trained on Hinata. "U-Um… I just… wanted to…" he mumbled some other incoherent words which left Ino confused and Hinata even more flustered.

Maybe he _should _stop staring at her… but how could he when he was looking at the very girl who _loved_ him?

"Ok…" Ino drawled. The platinum blonde turned back to Hinata. "These'll be 1500 ryu for your flowers including the discount."

Hinata snapped her eyes away from his and quickly handed Ino the money. "Thank you, Ino-chan," she whispered quickly.

The heiress tried gathering all her flowers from the counter but she was failing miserably and blushing heatedly from embarassment. Ino was amused.

Without a second thought, Naruto rushed to her aid, taking as much flowers as he could and giving Hinata as little as possible. That way, he looked like a gentleman. "Mind if I help you?" Naruto asked while laughing nervously.

Her face resembled a cherry. She peeked up from beneath her bangs and said a 'Thank you, Naruto-kun'.

Saying goodbye to Ino, the two walked out of the shop and onto the streets of Konoha. They didn't speak. At all. It was weird because around her he used to just babble. Why couldn't he say anything now?

Instead of speaking to her, he greeted the various that called out to him and smiled at him. That's how it was for him. The hero of Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki. Great ninja and friend, the shoe in for the spot of Rokudaime. Of course this newfound attention also earned him the recognition from many pretty girls.

But right now, he was focused on one beautiful girl. Hinata Hyuuga. The fresh air did her good. Her face was returning to its regular color and she was looking before her instead of down with a faint smile playing on her lips. What was it that made her smile? He really liked it.

"So…" Naruto drawled, attempting conversation. He quickly looked towards the various flowers. "What are you doing with all of these?"

For the first time on their little trip, she engaged the eye contact. "I'm going to press them and add them to my scrapbook," she said softly. "I'm sorry for inconveniencing you. I'm sure you have much better things to do…"

Naruto laughed nervously and looked towards the flowers. "Well, actually… I was kind of looking for you…"

"R-Really?"

"Stutter," he said teasingly. It was something they started up when they became friend- friends. To get her to break her habit, he decided to call her out on it whenever she did it. That is, when he remembered about the game.

She sighed. "Stutter indeed… So what did you want to see me for?"

Naruto's face flushed. What exactly could he tell her without her thinking he was some sort of stalker? _The barrette! _"Oh!... Um… Yesterday, you forgot your barrette so I thought I'd bring it to you…"

"Oh." She sounded disappointed. "So where is it?"

_Crap! _The barrette was at his apartment! "Heh heh… I guess I left it back at my apartment…" Quickly changing the topic, he said, "Flower pressing, huh? I've never heard of it… How exactly _do _you flower press?"

"Well…" She looked to the sky as she thought. "Well… you get a flower… and then you press it… and…. Well… it'd be easier to explain if you watched the process…"

"Can I?" the question flew out of his mouth before he knew it.

"Eh?"

"Um… I mean can I… you know… watch you do your flower pressing thing? It seems interesting." _Like you _he wanted to add.

Hinata stopped walking and soon he did too. He turned to look at her shocked expression.

"Is something wrong?"

"NO!" she quickly answered, blushing madly and looking all over the place. She took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. A small smile settled on her lips and a small blush to her cheeks. "It was just kind of… well sudden… I actually love that you find flower pressing interesting…" _Like I love you _she wanted to add. "My family isn't really a fan of flowers. They only like to use plants for herbs and such… It just feels good to see someone that shares my interest in the beauty of a flower… that's all."

Naruto grinned and she smiled softly. "Then let's get to your house, 'ttebayo!"


	3. Pressing On Deeper

**Moonlight Bliss**

"_Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the __flower_"

**Chapter 3: Pressing On Deeper**

The walk to the Hyuuga complex was short and the two managed to keep a conversation bouncing back and forth. It was what they usually talked about. Hinata would ask how his Hokage preparations were coming on, he would explain to her all the "stresses" of waking up "early", all the "maddening" learning he had to do about politics and tolerating his granny.

One of the things Naruto liked about Hinata was that she seemed to genuinely care about his stories. Even though most times he stretched the truth a bit too far, she still acted as if it was real and hung on to every word that escaped his lips. Be it a joke, something stupid, or something stupid, she never lost interest.

That was because she found every one of his words to be interesting. That was because his voice is what she always wanted to hear being spoken so casually towards her. That was because his words fascinated her. Sure she could tell when he was making stuff up but she found it immensely amusing and amazing that he could say it right off the spot without a care in the world.

It made her feel sad to know she could never have him. But she was going to enjoy the moment of it all and spend her last months of freedom with him. Even if the happiness was temporary, it was still there.

They drew near to the gates where they were met by two Hyuuga guards. "Good morning, Hinata-sama," they greeted with a bow. "Naruto-san." They didn't bow but they nodded in acknowledgement.

"Good morning, Akihiro-san and Shiro-san. Will you open the gates for us?"

Shiro raised an eyebrow. "For the _both _of you?"

Hinata nodded. Naruto was confused.

"Have you asked your father for permission of company?" asked Akihiro.

Naruto had the uncontrollable urge to hug the girl beside him right now. She was tilting her pretty little head to the side and jutting her bottom lip out oh-so-cutely. She really did look adorable and every bit huggable. "I-I forgot… I'll ask him when I go in though."

The guards looked like they were about to crack. "But it's against the clan law-"

"Please, Jiro-san?" Hinata pouted, adding a few tears to her large eyes for confidence, "Please, Akihiro-san? I thought you two actually liked me…" Hinata tilted her head downwards and sniffled.

Now he wanted to cry. Such a cute little creature in distress she was!

"Don't cry, Hinata-sama!" Jiro quickly begged.

Akihiro opened the gates swiftly. "There! There! The gates are open! Please don't be sad anym-!"

"Thank you!" Hinata squealed as she hugged both guards. "Come on Naruto-kun!"

With the most confidence she could muster, Hinata grabbed a confused Naruto's shirt and pulled him into the compound with a bright smile on her face and no tears.

The two guards sweat dropped. They fell for it… again.

* * *

><p>"What was that all about?" Naruto asked.<p>

Hinata stopped pulling him and blushed heavily. "It's kind of… my way of… well… getting what I want…"

Naruto grinned a foxy grin and placed his lips near to her ear. "The heir to the Hyuuga clan, oh-so- innocent-and- kind uses such a trick _just _to get what she wants?"

Hinata chilled and stepped to the side, blushing crazily. "Yes," she squeaked, "Only _sometimes _though!"

Naruto scoffed and laughed. "That's still great, Hinata! I never thought _you _would be able to pull that off! I guess my pranking ways have _finally _rubbed off on you!"

Hinata returned the grin, "Well I guess I've been around you way too much then!"

Naruto stopped walking and stared at the laughing girl before him intently. "Did you, Hinata Hyuuga, just make… a _joke_? An attempt at humor? A wisecrack? Hell has frozen over!"

Hinata smiled. "That's really mean Naruto-kun."

Naruto grinned. "I'm sorry but it's rare to find a Hyuuga with a funny bone!" The two continued walking side-by-side.

Hinata furrowed her brows in concentration, trying to find a way to defend her family's honor. "Well… Neji can…"

"Neji? Tell a joke? Hell has frozen over… twice!"

She lightly nudged Naruto with her shoulder, blushing minimally from the contact. "Well it was _kind of _funny…"

Naruto's eyes sparkled with glee. "Really? What did he say?"

The heiress rolled her eyes to the sky. "Ah, I remember! Neji and I's teams were finished sparring in the dojo and we were taking a brief water break…"

* * *

><p><em>Hinata wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead and reasonably gulped down her bottle of water. <em>

_Tenten lay on the wooden floor, sprawled around carelessly and breathing heavily. "Hey, Neji, have you ever told a joke before?" The brunette turned on her tummy and looked at Neji._

_Soon the entire dojo's attention had been directed to the handsome Hyuuga. Neji frowned and just looked away._

"_Obviously not," Kiba snickered. Tenten laughed along and Hinata cracked a smile. When Neji looked at her she quickly covered her mouth with her water bottle and turned her head the other way. "I mean, even Shino's told a joke before!... And he's socially awkward!"_

_This had Tenten in a fit of giggles and Hinata fighting back the urge to join. Kiba was guffawing. Shino glared at him. "I am NOT socially awkward."_

_Lee jumped up, quick to defend his friends. "Of course Shino-kun is not socially awkward! Sure Naruto-kun may have forgotten about him upon his return but that does not mean he is socially awkward!" Shino walked outside the dojo with a scowl on his face. "And Neji-kun-!" Neji sighed. Lee would just make things worse… "can be funny! Sure he may be cold and seemingly heartless without a funny bone in his body but I'm sure that deep, deep down, if Neji-kun can find his youthful-!"_

"_Shut up Lee!" Neji ordered. Tenten and Kiba were rolling, Hinata was chuckling and Lee was confused._

"_Knock, knock."_

_The dojo was quiet. They all turned to Neji. "What?"_

"_Knock, knock," he stated again. The inhabitants stared at him quizzically. "It's a type of joke…"_

"_Ohhhhhh," the room went. _

"_Who's there?" asked Tenten._

"_Orange."_

"_Orange who?"_

"_Knock, knock."_

_Tenten raised an eyebrow. "Who's… there?"_

"_Orange."_

"_Orange who?"_

"_Knock, knock?"_

_Hinata looked to Kiba, wondering where the joke was going. He shrugged. "Who's there?" Tenten asked again, clearly confused._

"_Banana."_

"_Banana who?"_

"_Banana you glad I didn't say orange again?"_

_Neji stared at them. They stared at Neji. A tumbleweed rolled by. _

_Hinata was the first to speak. "Um… nii-san… I'm no expert at Knock Knock jokes but… uh… I think you were supposed to use the orange last… not the banana."_

"_I know," Neji said, his face still serious. "I used ironic humor to make the joke funnier."_

"_Oh…"_

_The room was quiet again. _

"_You're supposed to laugh now," said Neji._

_They did laugh. It was awkward and incredibly forced._

"_Well…" Kiba murmured, "that's a minute of my life I'll never get back…"_

_Tenten and Hinata laughed. Neji frowned and left._

* * *

><p>Naruto was laughing. "How in the hell was <em>that <em>kind of funny! Knock Knock jokes don't even count as jokes!"

Hinata laughed softly. "I guess being funny is the one thing we're not naturally good at…"

Naruto grinned at her. "You shouldn't worry though. You're funny."

She grinned as well. "Thank you, Naruto-kun."

He smiled at the girl before him and asked, "So where do we go?"

She rolled her eyes upwards as if searching for an answer. "I usually flower press in my room… but if we go to my room, surely my father shall see you… and we don't want that…"

"Why not?"

"I didn't ask him for permission to have a friend over," Hinata explained. "If he sees you, he's going to reprimand me and I don't really want to speak to him right now…" Her eyes dimmed with sadness but that was soon replaced with a bit of happy. "… So we can flower press in the shed. If any of the branch members see you, they'd think I got permission so we'd be safe. C'mon, Naruto-kun."

Naruto followed the girl's lead, his hands still bearing the weight of the flowers. _I really wish there were two of me right now…_

Naruto dropped the flowers and smacked his forehead. He really was stupid!

The loud smack turned Hinata around. She looked confused. "Are you ok, Naruto-kun?"

"Just fine, Hinata!" Forming a cross with his fingers, Naruto yelled, "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" A replica of himself stood beside him in its sunny blond hair and blue eyed glory.

With a salute to the original, the clone yelled, "Reporting for duty boss!"

Grinning, Naruto handed ¾ of the flowers to his clone and he himself took the other half from Hinata. "We're going to carry these for the lady!"

"Lady?" the clone asked confusedly. His eyes landed on Hinata's for a brief moment before he matched the face with the one from his memory. "Oh! You! You're the girl that's in l-!"

Naruto sent a quick kick to the clones gut, instantly shutting the copy up.

"With the boss…" the clone sputtered, trying to regain balance of the flowers. He sent a glare to his boss and frowned. "Gee, what bit your ass?"

Naruto grinned awkwardly and whispered through clenched teeth, "She doesn't _know _I know, idiot."

The clone's mouth made an 'o' shape. "Guess I almost messed up, didn't I boss?" he chuckled.

Hinata watched the small interaction, hopelessly confused. "Erm… Nice to meet you… Naruto?" Hinata directed to the clone.

"Nice ta meet ya too, Hina-chan!" the clone said excitedly, "By the way, my name is Royal Ass-kicking Member of Epic Numbers #21! I'm the boss' favorite! P.S you're _way _prettier in person than in the boss' head!"

Naruto was about to hit the clone but judging by Hinata's face she was still struggling with the name and completely forgot about the compliment.

"Sooo, can I call you R.A.M.E.N 21?" Hinata suggested.

With sparkles in his eyes, the clone nearly began to cry. "R.A.M.E.N 21? That's a much better name than the boss gave me! I love ramen! Where have you been all my life?"

Dropping the flowers to the floor, the clone snatched Hinata in his arms and hugged her tight. Hinata blushed a light pink, smiling dazedly.

"Marry me?" the clone yelled. Her face became completely red. "And then we can have lots of ramen kid-"

In a poof the clone disappeared, leaving only an agitated, red-in-the-face Naruto and his half of the flowers. The other half was on the floor and crumpled. "I'm sorry… for him… He's my worst one."

Snapping back from her daze, Hinata quickly responded, "No, no! I liked that one" She murmured the last part softly. "He was sweet…"

Taking the crumpled flowers into her delicate fingers, Hinata sighed. She brushed them into a pile and placed them on the grass for her to return to later.

"I'm sorry for the flowers too…I always ruin everything anyways…"

Hinata looked appalled. "Why would you say that, Naruto-kun? You're an amazing person!"

"Really?" Naruto brightened at this. "What's so amazing about me _besides_ my incredibly handsome good looks and insane strength?"

She laughed and continued walking with him beside her. _Just what I want… To walk with Naruto-kun._

"Well… _besides _that. You're funny, really sweet, you dedicate all of your time to helping others, you can cheer anyone up with your smile and last but not least, you," Hinata took a deep breath, "_never _go back on your word."

"Really?" Naruto asked quizzically, leaning his head towards Hinata's. "You like all of those things about me?"

"E-Eh?" Hinata stumbled to the side from the close proximity and laughed nervously. "W-Well… I'm sure _I'm _not the only one that admires that about y-"

"So now you admire me?"

"E-Eh!" The heiress' face flushed considerably. "O-Of course I'm not the _only _one that admires you. You saved the entire ninja world! We all admi-"

"But I want _your _opinion Hinata, not theirs."

Her heart was beating wildly. "Why mine?"

"Because I know… you'd never lie to me." He flashed her a grin and she blushed.

"Then yes… I do admire you… and I also… also…"

Naruto leaned forward, closer and closer towards her, just waiting for her to say those three words once again but to his face…

"And we're here!" Hinata exclaimed loudly, jumping to the side with her arms outstretched. She laughed uncomfortably. _Oh my gosh… He was just so close! And I almost… almost… Gah! I'm such an idiot!_

Naruto frowned slightly. He was _this _close to having her confess. No matter. He had weeks upon end to get her to talk. He smiled. And he had a feeling getting her to talk wouldn't be easy.

The blond looked to the dark brown shed. It was medium sized and neatly kept with pretty flowers growing around it and trimmed grasses. It was beautiful. "This is a really nice place. Did you build it?"

Hinata grinned. "Ah, no. My father built this shed for my mother _years_ ago. She was pregnant with Hanabi and was demanding all sorts of crazy things. This just happened to be one of them… She never used the shed but she planted all the flowers around it and kept the grasses trimmed.

"After… she… left us… the flowers grew wild and the grasses stopped being tame. None of us touched it... that was until I decided to do my flower pressing right here when my father didn't like seeing my flowers all over the house. I was bored and looking around when I came here. The more I stared at it, the more I just wanted to fix little, little things … so I began to trim one or two of the flowers day by day… then I decided to work on the grasses and watered them regularly… and I began to press one or two flowers in the shed…No one bothered me so it became a habit… and I ended up with this place as mine. It's not as good as it was when my mother was around… but its ok, I guess …"

"You miss her, don't you?"

Smiling sadly, she nodded. "… Very… but I shouldn't focus on the past. I need to leave that and move on… yes… move on… completely…"

"Move on, huh?" His blue eyes met her soft lavender ones. Naruto grinned. "I say… you should embrace the past and go with the flow."

She smiled. "I wish I could... but moving on is still easier. It makes everything easier."

"I beg to differ."

"I agree to disagree."

"I believe you're all bark and no bite."

"I think you should bite your thumb."

"No use crying over spilt milk."

"I think I'm on the fence with that one."

Naruto laughed. "Where'd you learn so many idioms?"

Hinata laughed along. "I think I should ask you the same thing."

Naruto smiled softly. "I've been teaching myself to write. So that means starting off with basic English. And you?"

Hinata sighed and looked to the shed. "Father has me visit the library daily. If I'm not studying seals and techniques, I'm looking up catchy sayings. My favorite would have to be datte-." Instantly, she pursed her lips and covered her mouth. She sent a small roll of her eyes in Naruto's direction to see if he caught on.

He did. The cheeky grin set her cheeks ablaze.

"I-Ignore that!" the heiress blurted, marching up to the shed. "Let's get to flower pressing!"

Naruto watched her clumsy attempts to open the door with amusement in his eyes. She was just too much. As soon as she got the door open, she nearly tripped on the way inside. "Are you ok?" Naruto exclaimed, rushing to her.

"I-I'm okay," she said as regained her composure. "I-It was just a little slip…"

With his lips relaxing into a caring smile, the blond looked around the dark shed. It was quite simple. There were no splashes of color or vibrant pieces to the room. The walls were a dull gray and the room was dimly lit with a small open window. To the back of the shed, 5 shelves had been built into the wall which held scrapbooks opened to a designated page. At the sides, there were two tables. The one on the left was occupied with stacked scrapbooks, scissors, pencils, rulers etc. and the one on the right was empty except for a few petals scattered across its surface.

"It's not much…"Hinata admitted. "But it's all I need… Would you care to put the flowers over there, please?" She pointed to the empty table.

Nodding, Naruto set the flowers carefully onto the table. He stretched his fingers and turned to the girl behind him. "Now what do we do?"

She took light steps to reach his side and observed the plants. "Well… since you're a newbie at flower pressing... we'll each press one flower today… That's _if _you're up for the challenge?" She sent him a small quirk of the lips.

Naruto grinned. "Are you questioning my ninja way?"

She smiled. "Of course not, Naruto-kun. I'm just teasing."

"Good! So how do we get started?"

Sighing, she turned her attention to the plants as well. "First… you have to look at these… and pick the most beautiful flower."

Naruto looked at the flowers. They all looked pretty to him. He was going for a random daisy but Hinata's voice stopped him.

"When picking the most beautiful flower," she softly said, "… you have to consider 4 major things." He reeled his hand back and observed her carefully. She looked entranced by the flowers. "1. You have to really look at them… and note which one calls to you… To know that, you have to go to step 2- Which flower caught your eye first? Why? What made it so special? To answer that, you go to step 3- What kind of memories did that flower bring? What does it make you remember?... Each and every flower has its own meaning. That's what makes it so unique. And if you can answer step 3, you can go to step 4- Does this flower possess the memory I want to preserve? If your answer is yes, you have found the most beautiful flower. If your answer is no, you need to keep looking…"

She stretched her hand and wrapped her delicate fingers around the stem of bright yellow flower. She turned to Naruto with a happy smile. "This… is a golden tulip… and it's my most beautiful flower." She lightly sniffed it and sighed with contentment.

He watched her curiously. "What memory is behind that flower?" he asked.

She slowly shook her head. "I can't tell you, Naruto-kun."

He frowned. "Why not?"

She lightly played with the petals. "The memory a flower carries is the secret between the holder of the memory and the flower itself."

"So you won't tell me?"

"Nope." He pouted. She giggled quietly. "_But_…" He stopped pouting and looked to her intently. "_sometimes_… there is an exception."

He raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"I'm not sure if it's true but my mother told me this… if two people are close enough and genuinely care about each other _very_, _very _much… then the flower will share the secret."

"What do you mean?"

She placed a finger to her chin, searching for an answer. "For example… my mother told me that when two people are meant to be, they don't need words to communicate… Just one look into their eyes will tell you everything… For the flowers, I guess it's kind of the same thing. If the two people know each other very well and genuinely care for one another, then I guess the flower will think they are one and share the secret…" she looked to Naruto. "Well I don't really know, so don't take my word for it. You'd have to ask my mother that one."

"Then I'll learn that secret one day," said Naruto. He turned to the flowers. "But let me figure out my own memory first… Hmmm." He observed the flowers carefully. If Hinata could do it, he could do it too, right?

_Okay… the one that catches my eye the most… That's simple enough…_ It wasn't. They all caught his eye! He kept staring and staring at them, trying to get one of the flowers to jump out at him.

Hinata waited patiently, just watching him with amusement in her eyes. The time passed by slowly and comfortably. He was still staring at them.

"I got nothing," Naruto declared, sighing in defeat.

Hinata gave him a small pat on the back. "That's okay, Naruto-kun. Just try it again. You're new at this and half of the flowers are missing so you have a shorter range to choose from. But I'm sure you can do it."

He sighed again. "Thanks, Hinata."

She smiled. "Just release all the frustration and tension. Free your mind and soul and take another look at them."

"Free my mind and soul, huh?" Naruto repeated. He closed his eyes and concentrated, just like he did during his sage mode training. He opened his eyes slowly, completely calm. He looked to the flowers softly. The first one that caught his eye was a blue lily.

He pointed to it excitedly. "That's the one, Hinata!"

Hinata laughed at his joyous antics. "That's great! Now… we move on to step 2. Why did it catch your attention. What makes it so special?"

Naruto eyed the lily carefully, not sure what to say. "Well... I guess it's because…I've never seen one like it before… It's… different."

Hinata smiled warmly and moved closer to Naruto, looking into his gorgeous blue eyes. "You're doing a wonderful job," she praised. She lifted the lily quietly and placed it in Naruto's palm. "Now… What kind of memories does it bring? Does it make you remember anything?"

He observed the flower but drew a blank. "I don't know. Nothing's coming to mind."

"Hmmm," the Hyuuga hummed, playing with the lovely blue petals. "I'm sure it does make you remember something. You've already cleared steps 1 & 2… I think you're not _allowing _yourself to remember. It's there… but not completely there…" She looked to him and shrugged. "You just have to look for it."

Their heads were close, Naruto realized. Her face was only inches away from his and she wasn't shying away or the least bit flustered. She was perfectly natural, perfectly calm. Did the flowers do that to her? He quickly put it aside and looked to the flower. "Look for it…" he repeated. "But where do I look?"

Hinata sat herself down on the floor and patted the area beside her for him to sit too. He did. She took his flower away from him and pressed it to her golden one. "Do you see this?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Both flowers are different. Can you tell me some differences you see?"

"Well," Naruto began. "The tulip is closed and the lily is open."

Hinata nodded. "What else?"

"The tulip is brightly colored… like the sun… and the lily is dark colored … like the night sky."

Hinata grinned. "Exactly. These flowers clash yet they complement each other! What I'm saying is that flowers can have several different meanings in different situations. You chose this flower for a certain reason." She placed the lily in his palm once again. "You said it reminded you of the night sky. To someone else, it could have reminded them of a favorite shirt, pair of shoes, anything! But to you, the first thing that came to mind was the night sky. Now… I want you to look at that flower again and match it to any unique thing or person in your memory that literally screams the night sk-."

"Hinata-sama!" came a loud and shrill voice. "Where are you? It's time for dinner preparations! Hinata-sama!"

Shocked, Hinata quickly stood up and ran to the window. There she saw an old lady with an apron around her waist, still calling for her. "Chie-san," she murmured. She looked to the sky. It was sunset.

She turned to Naruto. "I can't believe we were in here all day! I hadn't noticed."

Naruto stood up. "Really? What time is it?"

"Around the time of sunset. As you've heard from Chie-san, I have to go now…"

"Oh," Naruto murmured. "Where are you going?"

"To help prepare dinner," Hinata answered. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. We didn't even get to flower press."

Naruto smiled. "That's okay. Hanging out with you was fun… although…" he nervously scratched the back of his neck. "… can I still come back tomorrow?... You know… to start flower pressing? I'm sure I'll figure out my flower when I go home tonight! That's a promise!"

Her mouth formed an 'o' shape. "You really want to come back?"

Naruto nodded shyly. "I do."

She smiled a bit. "Then I'll come to you tomorrow, ok?"

He smiled. "Sure thing… Um… I guess I'll be leaving now… I'll see you tomorrow then, Hinata…"

"Yeah," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow…"

He disappeared in a flash. She'd never forget just how strong he was. She fiddled with the tulip in-between her fingers and looked to the floor, feeling empty. She placed the flower on the table and slowly walked to the door.

He was coming back tomorrow. And just like today, he was going to make her forget that she was supposed to be trying to let him go and become even more attached to him. She sighed as she closed the shed's door.

"Naruto-kun," she whispered, leaning against the door. "For once… just let me let you go easily. Please?"

She headed in the direction of the Hyuuga kitchen, sighing. There was no way he was going to let her move on so easily. He was Naruto, after all. And she fell in love with his complex antics.

"Hinata-sama!" The heiress turned around to see Chie running towards her with a smile on her face. "I finally found you! Where were you?"

Hinata greeted the woman kindly with a faint nod of acknowledgement. "Ah, I'm sorry Chie-san. I was flower pressing in the shed and I guess the time got away from me..."

The old woman frowned, walking in step with her now. "That's okay but don't let it happen again. You know these wife-training sessions are mandatory now. There's nothing wrong with pressing your little flowers- in fact, I highly encourage you to continue it! When you get married it'll be a valuable way for you to spend your free time since you won't be going on missions anymore..."

Chie continued babbling on but Hinata stopped thinking at "wife-training sessions". _So that was what this was? That's why I've been doing more chores? That's why I've been preparing more family meals? That's why I've been taking care of the Hyuuga children? _Her mind crashed when the daunting realisation hit her. "The clan's dead-set on marrying me off," she murmured to herself.

"Hm? Did you say something, sweetie?"

Hinata didn't answer. Instead she stared before her blankly, eyes hollow and face white.


End file.
